If you don't mind me asking, what type of artificial heart is it?
It is just that the company I work for makes parts for a "Heart assist pump" for a company called Ventracore and I am interested in the technology. It is also interesting that Australia is the world leader in these devices with two versions of this product going on the market in the next year or so.
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that the little turbine jobby?
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quote:

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Originally posted by kkeerroo:
It is just that the company I work for makes parts for a "Heart assist pump" for a company called Ventracore and I am interested in the technology. It is also interesting that Australia is the world leader in these devices with two versions of this product going on the market in the next year or so.

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Ventra Assist is the model name so yes, we do make them here in Queensland (The controller boards and stator coils anyway.) I know the guys at work will be happy to hear that their work is helping people.
We are currently ramping up to full production for sale next year with an estimated market of 4 million in the US alone. That is kind of sad when you think of it.
for those who are intested: http://www.ventracor.com/

and my company (As if anyone will look at this. ): http://www.crystalaid.com.au/
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That gadget looks like a TurboCharger. Does it come in rice-burner edition with flashing lights ?

Is it constant-flow ? I wonder if there is any benefit to having a smooth constant flow of blood provided by a rotary pump rather than the surge-surge provided by a bio-heart (rotary things are tricky do in wetware)

It would have to be easier on the arteries and plumbing to not have huge pressure surges every second ?
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i believe that when they first started on heart pumps they found that you need a pulse. The thump thump helps push blood through all the little capillaries and such like without it people were having problems with circulation in their skin etc.
The human body is pretty fantastically optimised in many respects. Now thats not to say you couldn't design a better spine ;->

I like how with those little assist pumps in some cases they seem to help the heart "get better". It gets a bit of a rest and time to repair it self, i don't think they have removed any for that reason after implantation but heart function tests seem to improve after implantation fairly decently.
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Not exactly on topic, but obvioulsy Phillip's Dad is doing what he loves.

When I saw this video I thought of that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZvm5H4F-aA&mode=related&search=

Dad is back home in Brisbane now. He recovered faster than anyone else has to date.

Andrew, do you know how much magnetism the device can handle?
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You should remember that we just make them, not design them. And the area I am in deals with hearing implants so I am not expert on these things.
They are in effect a brushless motor so magnets should affect them the same as any other motor. Since they are a life support device they are designed to handle just about anything. Apart from that I don't know.
I do know that they can handle shocks of up to 10kV such as those from those resuscitation paddle things that hospitals have. I know this from all the fuss that was made about the prototype test jig that they made at work out of a microwave. I kept asking why they where cooking the stator coils.
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Thanks, Andrew. Dad said that his defribulator went off once while he was in hospital. It obviously did not fry his machine. QLD heath staff were telling my sister Robyn that he would not be able to stand near the speakers at church because they contained magnets. The inspectors didn't say anything about mum and dad's CRT TV. I wonder if they just don't know what they are talking about.

There were many teenagers in St Vincents due to heart or lung failure. Those of us that enjoy good health should feel lucky. Mum said that there was a sixteen year old boy who had a transplant.

Life is fragile. None of us know which day we will step from this life to the next. We might as well enjoy each day.
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On Tuesday morning, dad finished his final test to be eligible to go onto the QLD heart transplant list. The top transplant surgeon arrived home from holidays and met dad and went over the results.

Tuesday evening, dad got the phone call to go up to the Prince Charles Hospital as there was a possible match. The heart was an ideal match. Dad got a donor heart at about 4 am Wednesday morning.

Today, Thursday, the doctors brought him out of his medically induced coma and dad was able to phone mum. The doctors expect to discharge him on Friday week.

I can't help thinking about the person who donated their organs and the donors family who allowed the donations to take place. They made a decision that would benefit several complete strangers during a time of grief.

I wonder what sort of relationship the deceased had with his family and friends. What might have been his last conversation?
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So even the rain that falls isn't actually going to fill our dams and our river systems